‘Discover your local pharmacy’ during Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2017

Discover your local pharmacy – it offers a wealth of health advice and treatments that can be accessed for free, right on the high street.

This is the message behind Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2017, a health awareness week that happens each year between 6 – 13 November.

Pharmacists are highly trained experts in medicines and can provide advice on treating a wide range of common problems such as coughs, colds or flu-like symptoms, stomach aches, ear aches, sickness and diarrhoea, rashes, allergies and skin complaints, or uncomfortable aches and pains.

They also offer free health checks, stop smoking support, blood pressure testing and much more besides – no appointment needed.

“Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2017 is all about making the public more aware of what healthcare advice and support is available to them at their local pharmacy, because it is more than most people are aware of.

"You don’t always need to see your doctor to get treatment for everyday health problems. Pharmacists can offer lots of advice on the best medicines and treatments to use for a wide range of minor illnesses and ailments, and can also give advice about how to use different medicines and highlight any possible side effects.
If you have a long-term health condition, your pharmacist can also help you to manage your medicines, and they will also be able to assess the symptoms and advise if a patient needs to see another health professional.
We can also offer a range of different health checks such as blood pressure monitoring on the spot. Incredibly, almost a third of people with high blood pressure don't know they have it. But a simple blood pressure check at a local pharmacy can provide you with more knowledge of the condition, as well as lots of useful health and lifestyle advice about what you can do to help manage it and stay well."

He continues, “Not only is it quick and convenient to get advice from your local pharmacy, with no need for arranging an appointment, it can also help free up other busy NHS services such as hospital A&E departments for those who really need them in an emergency.

“Many pharmacies are conveniently open from early until late and at weekends too, which can be very useful if you or a family member is suddenly feeling unwell and you need to get some health advice when your GP surgery is closed.”

Other little known about services which local pharmacists can provide delivery of medicines to your front door if you are too unwell to leave home, or aren’t able to pick them up in person.

You can always talk to your pharmacist in complete confidence, even about the most personal symptoms - either in person or over the phone, and if you’d like a bit of privacy, most pharmacies also have a private consultation area where you can talk without being overheard by anyone.

And if you don’t pay for your prescriptions, local pharmacies also offer the Care at the Chemist scheme, which provides free medicines for certain common illnesses that affect you or your child. Simply ask in your local pharmacist for more information.